LNG fuel strides continue for French company

Oct. 10 (UPI) -- Norwegian energy major Statoil will start using liquefied natural gas as a maritime fuel at the port of Rotterdam by the next decade, a French gas company said.

French energy company ENGIE and its Japanese consortium partners said they were selected by Statoil to supply LNG as fuel for four crude shuttle tankers at the Norwegian port of Rotterdam.

"The four planned dual fuel vessels are to come into service in early 2020," the French company said. "They will be operated by Statoil in northern European seas."

Deliveries will be supported by bunkering vessel ENGIE Zeebrugge, which is currently in service in Belgian waters.

The French company in June said the ENGIE Zeebrugge was its first to provide ship-to-ship supplies for LNG as a fuel when it delivered LNG to two gas-propelled carriers belonging to United European Car Carriers. Bunkering, or the supply of fuel for use by ships in a seaport, was carried out at the Belgium port of Zeebrugge at the same time that cargo loading was taking place.

ENGIE, working in cooperation with its Japanese and Belgian natural gas transmission operator Fluxys, took delivery of the bunkering vessel, which itself is powered by LNG, in February.

With international regulations calling for fewer emissions in the transportation sector, LNG serves a unique niche.

The LNG used for the bunkering vessel is sourced from the portfolio of the French company, which is one of the largest LNG suppliers in the world. ENGIE signed an agreement with Japanese shipping company NYK to build the LNG-powered vessel in 2015.

No terms of the arrangement with Statoil were released and the Norwegian company had no public statement on the agreement.